Chris Kreider On Playing For Jerry York At Boston College

When Connecticut Whale forward Chris Kreider was considering his college options in the summer of 2008, he narrowed his list to Boston College, Boston University, Harvard and Yale.

Academics was a priority for Boxford, Mass. native, but one school distinguished itself as a hockey program. Boston College had won an NCAA title in 2008 and the program was thriving under coach Jerry York.

“Just the atmosphere, the environment, the culture,” Kreider said. “It was a pretty easy decision.”

Kreider wound up winning two national championships in three years at BC, including the 2012 title. And while he’s skated off to a professional career, his old team and coach are still soaring.

York, 67, became the winningest NCAA Division I hockey coach last weekend, notching the 925th victory of his career. His Eagles, ranked No. 2 in the country, host Yale Friday night.

From his view a few hours from Chestnut Hill, Kreider is proud of his old coach. But after spending three years under York, he’s not surprised.

“He’s got a presence about him,” Kreider said. “Not intimidating or arrogant, it’s just an energy, I guess. For me, he was exactly as advertised. No smoke and mirrors. What you see is what you get.”

York, a Watertown, Mass. native, is a BC graduate who coached at Clarkson and Bowling Green before returning to his alma mater in 1994. Under York, the Eagles have won four NCAA titles and have been to the Frozen Four 10 times.

The secret of his success? Kreider says York is unassuming and deflects credit.

“He surrounded himself with a pretty unbelievable staff,” Kreider said. “He surrounded himself with people why buy into what he’s trying to do there. Especially with recruiting, he gets who are going to buy into the system.”

York passed former Michigan State coach Ron Mason on the all-time list and BU coach Jack Parker is third (886 wins). Kreider says York doesn’t seem to be slowing down and he’ll continue to add to his win total.

Despite the record, though, York is somewhat overshadow amid the professional sports landscape in Boston. He might be the best coach in the city, but he’s hardly a household name.

“He’s definitely underrated,” Kreider said. “But I think he likes it that way. He’s such a humble guy. He’s really only concerned about developing a team. He always tries to deflect that attention.”

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